Plastic-sheathed door frame

ABSTRACT

Plastic covering protects the normally exposed inner surface of a door frame from the weather and provides a decorative coating therefor which never needs painting. An additional plastic covering in the form of an elongated plastic extrusion member is attached to the back side of the door frame adjacent the exterior wall and has a rigid plastic strip or fin projecting therefrom covering the joint between the door frame and exterior wood sheeting to provide a drip cap along the top of the door frame and water seal around the entire periphery of the door frame. The plastic fin is offset with respect to its base portion to accommodate the difference in thickness between dry wall and plaster wall for use with either by proper positioning of the fin.

United States Patent m13,s91,9ss

[72] Inventor Cray ,1. Coppins 13700 Flil'hill Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44120 [21) Appl. No. 862,168 [22] Filed Sept. 30, 1969 [45] Patented July 13, 1971 [54] PLASTlC-SHEATHED DOOR FRAME 13 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 49/504, 52/204 [51] Int. Cl 1506b 1/08 [50] Field of Search 49/501, 504, 505; 52/204, 211, 212, 213, 716

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,345,780 10/1967 McGhee 49/504 3,442,055 5/1969 Posey 52/309 X 3,443,345 5/1969 Spencer 49/504 X 3,491,487 1/1970 Cherno..... 49/504 3,491,584 1/1970 Seizer 49/501 Primary Examiner-Kenneth Downey Att0mey0berlin, Maky, Donnelly & Renner ABSTRACT: Plastic covering protects the normally exposed inner surface of a door frame from the weather and provides a decorative coating therefor which never needs painting. An additional plastic covering in the form of an elongated plastic extrusion member is attached to the back side of the door frame adjacent the exterior wall and has a rigid plastic strip or fin projecting therefrom covering the joint between the door frame and exterior wood sheeting to provide a drip cap along the top of the door frame and water seal around the entire periphery of the door frame. The plastic fin is offset with respect to its base portion to accommodate the difference in thickness betweendry wall and plaster wall for use with either by proper positioning of the fin.

PATENTEUJULHIQTI 3,591,985

F 3 7 INVENTOR CRA Y J. CUFF/N5 ATTORNEYS PLASTIC-SHEATI'IED DOOR FRAME This invention relates generally as indicated to a plastic sheathed door frame, and more particularly, to a plastic covering for a door frame which acts as a drip cap and water seal around the door frame and cooperates with the door sill of my copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 834,674, filed .lune I9, 1969, to provide a thermal barrier preventing transfer of heat between the exterior and interior around the entire periphery of the door frame and thereby preclude the buildup of frost and condensation.

Door frames or jambs are ordinarily constructed from carefully selected and properly dried lumber to reduce to a minimum the amount of warpage and expansion and contraction of the frames, which adds materially to the cost of the frames, and yet cracks and gaps often develop around the frames when subjected to severe weather conditions over an extended period of time.

Such drawbacks have been substantially eliminated with the present invention by placing a plastic covering over the entire inner periphery of the door frame, which protects the door frame from the weather and also permits the use of less expen sive lumber for making the door frame.

An additional plastic covering is also desirably attached to the back side of the door frame adjacent the exterior wall of the structure. The latter covering has a rigid plastic strip or fin overlying the joint between the door frame and exterior wood sheeting to provide a drip cap and water seal around the entire periphery of the door frame. The plastic fin is offset with respect to its base portion to accommodate the normal difference in thickness between dry wall and plaster wall by reversing the position of the fin so that it is closer to or farther away from the inner edge of the door frame.

A thermal barrier is also established by the plastic covering which cooperates with the door sill of my aforementioned copending US. Pat. application Ser. No. 834,674, to provide an effective means for preventing the transfer of heat between the exterior and interior around the entire periphery of the door frame, whereby a buildup of frost and condensation is precluded.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

In the annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary isometric view of a preferred form of plastic sheathed door frame in accordance with this inven tion shown in conjunction with a door sill of the type disclosed in my aforementioned copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 834,674;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the door frame and sill of FIG. 1, showing the plastic fin in proper position for accommodating the thickness ofa plaster wall;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the plastic fin in reverse position for accommodating the thickness of dry wall;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation view of the upper left-hand corner of a plastic-sheathed door frame constructed in accordance with this invention; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse section through the plastic fin and associated base portion of the supplemental plastic covering showing the undistorted configuration of the base portion prior to attachment to the door frame.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detail to the drawings, a plastic-sheathed door frame constructed in accordance with this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 1 and includes a door jamb or frame member 2 having a plastic covering 3 in cluding a first member 4 completely covering the normally exposed inner surface of the door jamb to protect the same from the weather and provide a decorative coating which has a relatively long, maintenance-free life.

Preferably, the member 4 is a one-piece extrusion made from a suitable vinyl or other plastic material and shaped to conform to the configuration of the door frame 2 and door stop 5. While the wall 6 thickness of the member 4 may be varied within limits, a thickness of approximately 0.045 inch has been found to be satisfactory.

The member may be of any desired length and cut to fit the sides and top of the door frame, with some clearance desirably being provided to permit limited expansion and contraction of the plastic covering. The sides 7 of the member 4 desirably extend at least a short distance around the back surface 8 of the door frame 2 to assist in retaining the member 4 in place on the door frame, and a channel-shaped portion 9 is also pro-' vided centrally of such member for receipt of the door stop 5. A projection 10 may also be provided on the member 4 which extends into a vertical groove 11 in the door stop 5. Barbs 12 on the projection 10 resist pullout of the projection from the groove. Of course, the member 4 must be sufficiently flexible to permit assembly onto the door frame and door stop, and once in place, staples or the like may be used to positively secure the member to the door frame 2.

If desired, a vertical groove 13 may be provided along the inner edge of the stop shoulder 14 to facilitate attachment of a weather strip 15 to the door frame. The member 4 is shaped to conform to the walls of the vertical groove 13, and ribs 16 on the member 4 interiorly of the vertical groove 13 prevent withdrawal of the barbed projection 17 on the weather strip.

Attached to the back side 8 of the door jamb 2 adjacent the exterior wall 18 is a second member of the plastic covering 3 in the form of a generally channel-shaped elongated plastic extrusion member 19 having a generally rigid plastic strip or fin 20 projecting outwardly therefrom in overlying relation to the joint 21 between the door jamb 2 and exterior sheathing 22. The plastic extrusion member 19 is attached to the back of the door frame along both sides and top, and the ends of both members 4 and 19 of the plastic covering 3 are desirably cut at 45 adjacent the upper corners of the door frame as shown in FIG. 4 so that they abut to provide an effective drip cap along the top of the door frame and water seal around the entire exterior periphery of the door frame.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the base 25 of the channel-shaped portion 26 of member 19 may be slightly concave and the sides 27 may be turned in slightly prior to attachment of the member 19 to the door jamb 2, thereby necessitating some deformation of the channel-shaped portion 26 during insertion of one of the sides 27 into a kerf 28 on the back of the door jamb and the other side over the exterior edge 29 of the door jamb for enhanced grip. Elongated slots 30 (see FIG. 4) may also be provided in the fin 20 through which nails 31 may be driven into the exterior sheathing 22 for securing the extrusion member 19 in place, but the nails are desirably not driven completely home to give some room for expansion and contraction of the member 19. As clearly shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the fin 20 is offset with respect to the center of the channelshaped portion 26 by a distance sufficient to accommodate the difference in thickness between a plaster wall 32 and dry wall 33 by a mere turning or rotating of the plastic extrusion between the FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 positions. A plaster wall is ordinarily approximately 5% inches thick, whereas dry wall is only about 4% inches thick, a difference in thickness of. approximately five-eighths inch. Accordingly, if the base portion 34 from one side of the fin 20 is made five-eights inch longer than the base portion 35 from the other side of the fin, the plastic extrusion member 19 when positioned as shown in FIG. 2 with the shorter base portion 35 located outwardly of the ex terior sheathing 22 will accommodate plaster wall and when positioned as shown in FIG. 3 with the longer base portion 34 located outwardly of the exterior sheeting will accommodate dry wall.

The distance between the fin 20 when brought into engagement with the exterior sheathing 22 in both the FIGS. 2 and 3 positions and the inner edge 36 of the doorjamb fixes the relative location of such inner edge withrespect to the interior surface 37 or 38 of the wall 32 or 33, respectively, and it is preferred that such distance be such that the inner edge of the door jamb is flush with the interior wall surface.

After the plastic members 4 and 19 have been properly assembled onto the door jamb 2 and the door jamb has been oriented with respect to the exterior sheathing 22 as previously described, the doorjamb is secured to the framing members 40 surrounding the door opening using suitable fasteners. The door frame 2 illustrated is for mounting of an interior swinging door 41, but it will be apparent that the same frame may be used for mounting of exterior doors, it only being necessary to reverse the position of the door jamb and mount the member 19 along the other edge of the door jamb, a second kerf 42 being provided in the back side of the door jamb for that purpose. After installation of the door frame, ex terior siding 43 may be put in place, covering the fin 20.

Although the dimensions of the member 19 may vary somewhat, a preferred typical wall thickness for the plastic extrusion may be 0.070 inch, the length of the fin 20 may be approximately 1.75 inches, the length of the sides 27 of the channel member 26 may be approximately 0.438 inch, and the width of the channel member may be approximately 2 inches.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the plastic covering 3 extends completely around the sides and top of the door frame, thus protecting the same from the weather, and also providing an insulation or thermal barrier which when used in conjunction with a door sill 45 of the type disclosed in my copending US. Pat. application Ser. No. 834,674, effectively prevents the transfer of heat between the interior and exterior both underneath and around the sides and top of the door. As shown, the door sill 45 consists of a wood or like substrate 46 having an exterior projection 47 to which is secured a metal sill cover 48 (preferably aluminum) that terminates adjacent the threshold portion or exterior side of the door 41 when in the closed position. Directly beneath the door when closed there is provided a rigid vinyl or other thermal insulating member 49 which has downwardly projecting ribs 50 that extend into grooves or notches 51 in the wood substrate 46 for securing the member 49 in place.

The slight clearance between the bottom of the door and member 49 is taken up by a resilient positive vinyl door seal 52 on the bottom of the door.

The door sill 45 effectively prevents a buildup of frost and condensation on either side of the door when closed since the metal sill cover 48 terminates short of the interior side of the door when closed as aforesaid, and the rigid vinyl member 49 provides a thermal barrier preventing transfer of heat from one side of the door to the other. The plastic cover member 4 provides an extension of the thermal barrier along the sides and across the top of the door. For a more complete disclosure of the details of the door sill 45, reference may be had to my aforementioned copending US. Pat. application Ser. No. 834,674, which is incorporated herein by way of reference.

The door 41 may be made of wood or metal, but if metal is used, a thermal break or gap 53 is desirably provided between the metal door facings 54 as shown in FIG. 2 to preclude transfer of heat from one side of the door to the other. With a metal door, the weather strip 115 may be of the well-known magnetic type to provide a positive magnetic seal around the metal door when closed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A member for attachment to a door frame to provide a weather seal around the door frame comprising an elongated generally channel-shaped portion for attachment to the back side of such door frame along the full length thereof adjacent the exterior side, and an elongated fin projecting outwardly from said channel-shaped portion adapted to cover the joint between the door frame and exterior sheathing around such door frame, said fin being offset with respect to the center of said channelshaped portion to permit use with different wall thicknesses by turning said member from end to end.

2. The member of claim 8 wherein said fin has elongated spaced apart slots therein for receipt of fasteners to facilitate attachment of said member to the exterior sheeting.

3. A plastic-sheathed door frame comprising a door jamb, a door stop on said doorjamb, and a plastic covering including a first member covering said door jamb and door stop, said first member having a shape conforming to the normally exposed inner surface of said door jamb and door stop, and a projection extending from said first member into a groove in said door frame for securing said member to said frame, and a second member having a channel-shaped portion attached to the back side of said door frame adjacent the exterior side and an elongated fin projecting outwardly from said channelshaped portion adapted to cover the joint between the door frame and exterior sheathing around such frame, said fin being offset with respect to the center of said channel-shaped portion to permit use with different wall thicknesses by turning the second member 180 from end to end.

4. The frame of claim 3 wherein the back side of said door jamb has a kerf for receipt of one of the sides of said channelshaped portion.

5. The member of claim 1 wherein said member is made ofa plastic material, and said channel-shaped portion has a slightly concave base portion and inturned sides prior to attachment to said door frame, said base portion and sides being flexible to permit straightening during attachment to provide a positive grip with the door frame.

6. A door frame comprising a door jamb having a door stop on the normally exposed inner surface of said door jamb, and a member providing a weather seal around said door frame, said member comprising an elongated generally channelshaped portion attached to the back side of said door jamb along the full length thereof adjacent the exterior side, and an elongated fin projecting outwardly from said channel-shaped portion which covers the joint between said doorjamb and the exterior sheathing around said door frame, said fin being offset with respect to the center of said channel-shaped portion to permit use with different wall thicknesses by turning said member 180 from end to end.

7. The frame of claim 6 wherein said member is made of a plastic material, and said channel-shaped portion has a slightly concave base portion and inturned sides prior to attachment to said door jamb, said base portion and sides being flexible to permit straightening during attachment to provide a positive grip with said door jamb.

8. The frame of claim 6 wherein the back side of said door jamb has a kerf for receipt of one of the sides of said channelshaped portion, and the other side of said channel-shaped portion engages the exterior side of said door jamb.

9. A plastic-sheathed door frame comprising a door jamb, a door stop on said door jamb, and a plastic covering providing a weather seal around said door frame including a first member covering said door jamb and door stop, said first member having a shape conforming to the normally exposed inner surface of said door jamb and door stop, and a second member comprising an elongated generally channebshaped portion attached to the back side of said door frame along the full length thereof adjacent the exterior side and an elongated fin projecting outwardly from said channel-shaped portion which covers the joint between said door frame and the exterior sheathing around said door frame, said fin being offset with respect to the center of said channel-shaped portion to permit use with different wall thicknesses by turning said second member 180 from end to end.

10. The frame of claim 9 further comprising a door sill including a base member of insulating material secured to the bottom of said door frame, said base member having an exterior portion projecting outwardly beyond the door when closed and a threshold portion directly beneath the door when closed, a metal still cover secured to said exterior portion and groove and stop shoulder, said plastic covering interiorly of said groove having ribs for engagement with a barbed projection on a weather strip inserted into said groove.

12. The frame of claim 9 wherein said plastic covering has sides extending around to the back side of said door jamb.

13. The frame of claim 9 wherein said plastic covering has a projection extending into a groove. in said door frame for securing said plastic covering to said-frame. 

1. A member for attachment to a door frame to provide a weather seal around the door frame comprising an elongated generally channel-shaped portion for attachment to the back side of such door frame along the full length thereof adjacent the exterior side, and an elongated fin projecting outwardly from said channel-shaped portion adapted to cover the joint between the door frame and exterior sheathing around such door frame, said fin being offset with respect to the center of said channelshaped portion to permit use with different wall thicknesses by turning said member 180* from end to end.
 2. The member of claim 8 wherein said fin has elongated spaced apart slots therein for receipt of fasteners to facilitate attachment of said member to the exterior sheeting.
 3. A plastic-sheathed door frame comprising a door jamb, a door stop on said door jamb, and a plastic covering including a first member covering said door jamb and door stop, said first member having a shape conforming to the normally exposed inner surface of said door jamb and door stop, and a projection extending from said first member into a groove in said door frame for securing said member to said frame, and a second member having a channel-shaped portion attached to the back side of said door frame adjacent the exterior side and an elongated fin projecting outwardly from said channel-shaped portion adapted to cover the joint between the door frame and exterior sheathing around such frame, said fin being offset with respect to the center of said channel-shaped portion to permit use with different wall thicknesses by turning the second member 180* from end to end.
 4. The frame of claim 3 wherein the back side of said door jamb has a kerf for receipt of one of the sides of said channel-shaped portion.
 5. The member of claim 1 wherein said member is made of a plastic material, and said channel-shaped portion has a slightly concave base portion and inturned sides prior to attachment to said door frame, said base portion and sides being flexible to permit straightening during attachment to provide a positive grip with the door frame.
 6. A door frame comprising a door jamb having a door stop on the normally exposed inner surface of said door jamb, and a member providing a weather seal around said door frame, said member comprising an elongated generally channel-shaped portion attached to the back side of said door jamb along the full length thereof adjacent the exterior side, and an elongated fin projecting outwardly fRom said channel-shaped portion which covers the joint between said door jamb and the exterior sheathing around said door frame, said fin being offset with respect to the center of said channel-shaped portion to permit use with different wall thicknesses by turning said member 180* from end to end.
 7. The frame of claim 6 wherein said member is made of a plastic material, and said channel-shaped portion has a slightly concave base portion and inturned sides prior to attachment to said door jamb, said base portion and sides being flexible to permit straightening during attachment to provide a positive grip with said door jamb.
 8. The frame of claim 6 wherein the back side of said door jamb has a kerf for receipt of one of the sides of said channel-shaped portion, and the other side of said channel-shaped portion engages the exterior side of said door jamb.
 9. A plastic-sheathed door frame comprising a door jamb, a door stop on said door jamb, and a plastic covering providing a weather seal around said door frame including a first member covering said door jamb and door stop, said first member having a shape conforming to the normally exposed inner surface of said door jamb and door stop, and a second member comprising an elongated generally channel-shaped portion attached to the back side of said door frame along the full length thereof adjacent the exterior side and an elongated fin projecting outwardly from said channel-shaped portion which covers the joint between said door frame and the exterior sheathing around said door frame, said fin being offset with respect to the center of said channel-shaped portion to permit use with different wall thicknesses by turning said second member 180* from end to end.
 10. The frame of claim 9 further comprising a door sill including a base member of insulating material secured to the bottom of said door frame, said base member having an exterior portion projecting outwardly beyond the door when closed and a threshold portion directly beneath the door when closed, a metal still cover secured to said exterior portion and terminating adjacent said threshold portion, and a rigid thermal barrier member of insulating material secured to said threshold portion of said base member and providing with said plastic covering a thermal barrier completely around said door frame preventing transfer of heat between the exterior and interior.
 11. The frame of claim 9 wherein said door stop has a shoulder with a groove extending the length thereof, and said plastic covering is shaped to conform to the walls of said groove and stop shoulder, said plastic covering interiorly of said groove having ribs for engagement with a barbed projection on a weather strip inserted into said groove.
 12. The frame of claim 9 wherein said plastic covering has sides extending around to the back side of said door jamb.
 13. The frame of claim 9 wherein said plastic covering has a projection extending into a groove in said door frame for securing said plastic covering to said frame. 